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What Brings You Peace of Mind?

Lori Michiel/28 February 2024/ All MFN blog/

Your thoughts can run in your head like a broken record–or can you sit still and “hear” the quiet?

Is there an activity, exercise, religious or meditation practice you do regularly to slow your mind? Or do you take medications which can have multiple side effects? For example, I experienced a severe emotional strain while dealing with my mom’s death. Before her passing, I cleared my calendar and rearranged my schedule so I could be more involved in her care. Both my sister and I were with her every day.

I decided to reintroduce yoga and meditation and good eating habits into my weekly practice to ease the stress and mindless chatter in my head. The benefits were almost immediate.

Adding more diversity into my weekly routine (that always includes exercise) made it easier to cope with the stress and strain that this new event presented. Each night when I put my head down on the pillow, I meditate on how grateful I am for my good health, family, the right care my mom received, and my ability to cope with all the obstacles and challenges of the day.

My new routine is here to stay. So far it has saved me emotionally. Will it again when the next crisis comes up? I don’t know, I hope so. It would have been easier to go down a more familiar (negative or hopeless) path, but I choose to take a different, more positive, approach. I can’t control everything; I know that logically, I can still try. Control has been part of my DNA since I was a teenager. I remember the 1994 Northridge earthquake only amplified those feelings.

Pick up any health-based magazine or newspaper and it talks about the power of meditation. The research is there: it works! Discover what brings you peace of mind when you feel you’ve reached your breaking point.

Lori Michiel, NASM-CPT, Founder, Lori Michiel Fitness seniors in the home

Lori has been assisting seniors in their homes since 2006 with customized exercise programs including those designed to address Parkinson’s, metabolic disorders, arthritis and diabetes. These adaptive programs are specifically designed to improve balance, circulation, flexibility, mobility and promote independence. Lori Michiel Fitness has over 40 certified trainers who are matched with clients in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange Counties.

The Importance of Isometrics for the Joint Replacement Client, Part 2

Pat Marques/15 February 2024/ All MFN blog/

In Part 1 of this article, we defined isometrics and discussed the two basic types of isometric exercises, yielding and overcoming, and why you might choose one over the other. In Part 2, we’re going to discuss the benefits of isometrics, especially for joint replacement clients, and ideas on how to use and program isometrics.

What are the benefits of isometric exercises?

Isometric exercises are beneficial for everyone – athletes, fitness enthusiasts, those with musculoskeletal pain, those in rehab, etc. But they are especially beneficial for joint replacement fitness. Here are the primary benefits of isometrics training:

You control the effort level – The client has complete control over the amount of effort/force they are producing. This not only contributes to the safety of isometric training, but it also helps joint replacement clients (or anyone recovering from injury or motor control issues) learn how to control their force production. Isometrics specifically activate pre-motor and supplementary motor areas in the brain.

Isometrics are the least neurologically threatening form of strength training^[1] – Because the client is in total control of the effort level and that force is being produced without joint movement, isometrics are a very low threat to the nervous system. This very often allows clients to utilize isometrics well before dynamic exercises, and feel safe producing force, which is very important as joint replacement clients relearn neuromuscular activation patterns.

Larger amounts of force can be generated than dynamic training – If you are doing multiple reps of an exercise, you are, by definition, not producing maximum force. Isometrics allow a client to work up to max force production in a safe and pain-free manner.

Isometrics promote joint health and strength – The synovial fluid in joints is a Non-Newtonian Fluid, meaning that when increased pressure occurs through the joint, the viscosity of the synovial fluid increases, to provide more protection for the joint. Thus, isometrics take advantage of the hydrodynamics of the joint fluid, which increases joint stability as increasing amounts of force are put through the joint.

Pain reduction – Isometric exercises have been shown to reduce pain in patellar tendinopathy^[1] and lateral elbow tendinopathy^[2], sometimes used by itself or with other modalities. In our experience, isometrics can be a very powerful tool to mitigate musculoskeletal pain.

How do you use isometrics?

There are three primary parameters we can adjust when doing isometrics:

Effort level – This is the percentage of effort/force output at which you are engaging the target musculature. You could get objective numbers by using a dynamometer, but these can be expensive and most medical fitness trainers will not likely have access to one. We have found at a practical level that a subjective estimate by the client works just fine (e.g., “push at 50% effort… now increase to 75%… now ease into 100% effort if there is no pain.”

Time of contraction – A full, 100% effort level of contraction can be held at most for six to eight seconds. But this does not mean that longer, sub-maximal effort isometrics are not useful. In fact, most of the studies that have used isometrics for pain reduction do just that – isometric holds at 30-60 seconds at 50-75% effort.

Joint angles – An old myth about isometrics was that strength increases were only gained at the exact joint angle at which the isometrics we done. We now know this is not the case, and that strength increases can be found at multiple joint angle positions from isometrics, although how large of an increase can depend upon which joint angle was used.^[1]

A good place to start with joint replacement clients would be lower effort levels, longer times of contraction, and the most comfortable joint angle. For a knee replacement client this could look something like:

Exercises: Standing Knee Flexion and Standing Knee Extension
Effort: 25-75% (highest possible without pain)
Time: 30-45 seconds
Joint Angle: 90^o / mid-range
Volume: 2-3 sets of the 30-45 second holds

Unilateral, open chain exercises like these are great as they force stabilization to happen on the non-working side, so you would want the client to do isometrics on both sides. When the non-replaced side is doing the isometric, the replacement side must do the stabilization. This is just as important as the strength work. However, depending on the client’s starting point for stabilization, you may need to start with closed chain exercises.

As the joint replacement client becomes stronger and more stable, you could shift into higher effort levels, shorter times of contraction, and multiple joint angles. For a hip replacement client this could look something like:

Exercises: Lunge / Split Squat Stance
Effort: 75-100% (highest possible without pain)
Time: 6-8 seconds
Joint Angles: 1) Near fully stretched, 2) 90^o / mid-range, and 3) near fully contracted
Volume: 1-3 sets of 6-8 second holds at all three positions (e.g., 1 set = a 6-8 second hold at positions 1, 2, and 3)

Isometrics can be a very useful and powerful tool when training joint replacement clients but also for general fitness, performance, and pain clients! You can learn more about isometrics, specific isometric exercises for joint replacement clients, and about taking a neuro-centric approach to medical fitness with our Joint Replacement Fitness Specialist online course, available through the MedFit Classroom!

Pat Marques is a Z-Health Master Trainer and NSCA-CPT specializing in training the nervous system to improve performance and get out of pain. After retiring from the Active Duty Army, Pat pursued his education and certifications in exercise science, initially working with wounded, ill, and injured soldiers. During this time that Pat discovered the power of using a neurological approach to training to get out of pain and improve fitness and performance. He currently provides exercise therapy, movement reeducation, and strength and conditioning for all levels of clients at NeuroAthlete, from chronic pain sufferers to Olympic-level and professional athletes.

References

[1] Cobb, E. (2017). 9S: Strength & Suppleness Course, Z-Health Performance Solutions.

[2] van Ark M, et al. (2015). Do isometric and isotonic exercise programs reduce pain in athletes with patellar tendinopathy in-season? A randomised clinical trial. J Sci Med Sport (2015).

[3] Vuvan, V., Vicenzino, B., Mellor, R., Heales, L., & Coombes, B. (2019). Unsupervised Isometric Exercise versus Wait-and-See for Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

[4] Kubo, K., Ohgo, K., Takeishi, R., Yoshinaga, K., Tsunoda, N., Kanehisa, H., & Fukunaga, T. (2005). Effects of Isometric training at different knee angles on the muscle-tendon complex in vivo. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.

The Importance of Isometrics for the Joint Replacement Client, Part 1

Pat Marques/13 February 2024/ All MFN blog/

Isometric exercises are the most highly under-utilized form of exercise in fitness in general, but they are especially important in a medical fitness context. In this two-part blog series we’re going to discuss what isometrics are, why they are so good (especially for joint replacement fitness), and how you can use them.

In Part 1, let’s define what we are talking about.

What are isometric exercises?

Isometric exercises utilize an isometric contraction of the muscle, which is a contraction in which the muscle is neither shortening nor lengthening as the muscle contracts. A concentric contraction is when the muscle belly is shortening as the muscle contracts (e.g., flexing the elbow as you raise the weight during a biceps curl). An eccentric contraction is when the muscle belly is lengthening as the muscle contracts (e.g., extending the elbow as you lower the weight during a biceps curl).

With isometrics we are contracting/flexing the muscle, but there is no movement (shortening or lengthening) of the muscle.

What are the types of isometric exercises?

There are many ways to do isometrics, but they all essentially fall into two broad categories:

Yielding isometrics

Yielding isometrics are when you are trying to resist a force, weight, or gravity. These are sometimes called “holding” isometrics. If you were a disruptive student in gym class as a kid, like me, you may fondly remember wall sits… a great example of a yielding isometric exercise.

With yielding isometrics, think deceleration. You are essentially fighting the eccentric (lengthening) contraction. Other examples include:

Holding the top position of a chin-up for the back and biceps
Holding the top position of a push-up for the chest and triceps

You do not have to be in the fully contracted position like the two examples above. Holding a mid-range position, like the wall sits example or holding a weight halfway through a rep range, would also be a yielding isometric.

Overcoming isometrics

Overcoming isometrics are when you are trying to produce force against an object that will not move. These are sometimes called “pushing” isometrics.

With overcoming isometrics, think acceleration. You are engaging the concentric (shortening) contraction, but the shortening of the muscle is blocked by the immovable object (i.e., bar, strap, etc.). Using a hip belt connected to a strap you are standing on would be an example for a squat pattern. Other examples include:

Pressing an unloaded barbell into the safety pins in rack (i.e., for bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.)
Using an ankle cuff on the wrist or ankle attached to a strap (NOT a resistance band) and setting up a direction of push or pull so the strap resists your contraction

Which type of isometric is best for joint replacement clients?

Both types of isometrics are very useful for regaining muscular force production capability. Some studies have shown that under equal force generation, a muscle will fatigue faster during a yielding isometric, possibly due to the more complex neural control strategies involved.^[1]

When choosing between the two types, consider the SAID Principle – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Does your joint replacement client most need to work on getting up out of a chair? If so, then overcoming isometrics will likely help them the most (more concentric contraction focused). Conversely, if they are having the most difficulty in descending stairs, yielding isometrics may be of more benefit (more eccentric contraction focused).

In Part 2, we’ll talk about the specific benefits of isometrics, especially for joint replacement clients, and ideas on how to use and program isometrics.

Continued Education for Fit Pros

Begin learning a neuro-centric approach to medical fitness and how to work with joint replacement clients with our Joint Replacement Fitness Specialist online course, available through the MedFit Classroom!

References:
[1] Schaefer, L & Bittmann, F. (2017). Are there two forms of isometric muscle action? Results of the experimental study support a distinction between a holding and a pushing isometric muscle function. BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 9:11.

Cool Breathing: Why is breathing cool? It keeps us alive!

Dr. Audrey Pullman/6 February 2024/ All MFN blog/

There are several reasons why breathing is important. First, it’s the key to every human being’s survival to sustain life. Our breathing system supplies oxygen to vital organs of the body so they can function properly and keep us alive. Second, breathing is one means by which we get rid of waste products and toxins from the body.

Aquatic Pre-Hab for Joint Replacement

Dr. Rick McAvoy/30 January 2024/ All MFN blog/

By 2030, the demand for primary total hip arthroplasties is estimated to grow by 174% to 572,000. The demand for primary total knee arthroplasties is projected to grow by 673% to 3.48 million procedures.

Pre-surgical or prehabilitation (prehab) programs have been gaining increased popularity and show promising results in getting clients moving quicker after surgery. Prehab can be defined as an individualized physical conditioning program to improve strength, endurance, and range of motion prior to surgery.

I have found in my experience that by incorporating an aquatic program six or more weeks prior to surgery can have significant benefit post-operatively.

A multicenter study performed at New England Baptist Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School found that knee- and hip-replacement surgery patients who had participated in prehab for just six weeks prior to surgeries reduced the need for inpatient rehabilitation by 73 percent. This study involved water-and land-based strength training, plus aerobic and flexibility exercises.

Why Use the Water to Help with Pre-hab?

Reduced Pain & Swelling

Clients awaiting joint replacement surgery are usually in a significant amount of pain. They may experience pain not only at the specific joint but also in corresponding joints that have compensated for improper biomechanics. Using the water’s unloading properties to reduce pain, as well as the hydrostatic pressure to help with swelling reduction, are tremendous benefits.

Restore Range of Motion (ROM)/Muscle Balance

I always tell my clients, “Motion is Lotion.” This means that the more you move correctly, the better you will feel. Gaining as much ROM prior to joint replacement is very important. I also share, “The doctor will be replacing your joint, not your ligaments, tendons or muscles. The more muscle balance we can get the better you will do post operatively.” I give the example of a worn out tire on a car. Over time the cars suspension adapts to that worn tire and pulls out of alignment. The replaced joint represents the new tire; now we have to realign the suspension so everything rides correctly.

In the water using flotation equipment on the lower extremities allows the client to gain much more ROM.

Buoyancy unloads the joint and assists the motion, but more importantly the client has control over the movement. If try to manually stretch a client, he/she is automatically guarded, no matter how much I remind them to “relax”. Moving freely in the water, the client is more likely to push their ROM than if I stretch him/her manually.

Improve Strength

Pain causes muscle inhibition and hence muscle weakening. Neuromuscular control needs to be restored prior to surgery in order to facilitate muscle recovery post-operatively. The stronger the muscles are, the faster the recovery. Strengthening exercises to help balance all muscle groups are much easier and comfortably performed in the water. Water provides an accommodating three-dimensional resistance which allows multiple muscle groups to be strengthened simultaneously.

Improve Proprioceptive Awareness & Normal Movement Patterns

Any functional movement depends on the coordination and fine tuning of the neuromuscular system. Joint degeneration affects the soft tissues that contain proprioceptors, which will cause significant reduction in the awareness of joint movement.

Proprioceptive exercises can be be started prior to surgery to stimulate the neuromuscular mechanisms and make them more responsive after surgery. The water provides a surrounding proprioceptive enriched environment to help restore neuromuscular function, including balance and proprioception.

Improve Gait

Degeneration of lower extremity joint will commonly result in a compensated gait pattern. This pattern is often continued, even after surgery, because of abnormal motor patterns. Use the water to correct gait patterns prior to surgery, which will assist with alignment, weight shift and proprioceptive input, and therefore facilitate a normal post-op gait pattern.

Client Education

Surgeons often do not tell the client what they will experience post operatively. Thus, another benefit of prehab is the opportunity to educate the client on the post-op process. Clients often compare themselves to other people who have had a similar surgery, which can lead to frustration. By educating the client and with the understanding that everyone progresses at a different rate.

In my experience, by utilizing the water for prehabilitation prior to a total joint replacement is one of the best ways to get clients moving and feeling better faster!

If you’re interested in sponsoring a Medically Based Aquatics (MBA) course at your facility, please contact Rick McAvoy at rick@rickmcavoyaquatics.com

Dr. Rick McAvoy has specialized in Aquatic Physical Therapy and Sports Performance for over 30 years and promotes aquatic fitness, rehab and training. He is the Owner of Rick McAvoy Aquatics, an Aquatic Fitness and Sports Performance Training and Consulting Company. Rick is also a published author and researcher in the field of Aquatic Therapy and Fitness as well as Sports Performance.

Coaching Hardiness of Heart: Buffers vs. Band-Aids

Pat VanGalen/26 January 2024/ All MFN blog/

Like a leaky roof, do we just patch the hole, and hope for the best? Or do we replace and restore it, and do the maintenance to optimize it, despite extreme weather conditions? In ski-speak, we joke about variable conditions, never predictable. In life, it’s the same thing. Are we prepped and ready for the curveballs and Murphy-strikes that WILL come our way? Do we have an ample buffer, a reserve capacity to pull from? Can we bounce back, repeatedly, take hits and remain solid? Hardy folks can and do! Think of a hardy person you know. What keeps them surviving, and thriving?

Today, it is well-accepted that cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the U.S., is rooted in inflammation, insulin-resistance, oxidative stress (rusting), hormonal imbalances and exposure to toxins. We also know that a lousy diet, long-term micro-nutrient deficiencies, physical INactivity, chronic DIStress, and various toxins, raise cholesterol and blood pressure exacerbating an inflammatory response in our arterial endothelium. Remember that half of the people who experience heart attacks do NOT suffer from hypercholesterolemia. To quote Mark Hyman, M.D., Founder, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, “CVD is not about cholesterol; it is about inflammation in a cholesterol environment.”

So, when 45 year old 2-stent Charlie, husband, father of three, small business owner, with a passion for hunting and fishing comes to me, I need Whole-Charlie coaching. A Hardiness model fills the bill.

Hardiness Coaching is designed to fortify FIVE structural pillars: 1) Movement, 2) Diet, 3) Rest-Recovery-Regeneration, 4) Stress Resistance and, 5) Purpose-Relevance-Meaning. The Pillars are grounded in a foundation of DAILY habits, patterns and practices, not programs with a start and end date. They are interconnected, and the robustness of one supports the others; if one crumbles, the others bear the brunt. By repairing cracks and leaks within a given pillar, we boost overall resilience, durability, and robustness, not just the CV issue at heart (no pun intended). Hey, what’s good for the heart, is good for the brain is good for the gut is good for the immune system is…

Our clients come to us with the desire to move better, feel better and get back to living life, even surpassing it, despite their issues. Their current health does NOT define them, nor does their age. It’s our responsibility to meet them where they’re at, know where they have been [for decades], and get them where they want to go. Keeping their hopes and dreams alive is paramount.

As Hippocrates so eloquently stated, “Know the person who has the disease, not just the disease that has the person.”

So, when we hear ‘cardiac or cardiovascular’, think beyond the heart and vasculature for transport and waste removal. Think integration with the lymph and respiratory systems, and their role in running a well-oiled machine, one where the other six systems [gut microbiome, immune/inflammatory, energy production (mitochondria), waste disposal – detoxification, communication (neurotransmitters, hormones), structural (cells, tissues, organs) synergistically thrive. This is a Functional Medicine model. Check it out.

Clinical psychologists, physical therapists or medical doctors, we are not. But, we impact lives in a multitude of ways, some measured by hard data, and others, by those intangibles like confidence and joy. Yes, we work within the physical realm, but when we take the integrated pillar approach to coaching Hardiness, we sync and link the pillars, buttressing them to exponentially resist and adapt better to the stresses and strains of life. Buttresses, NOT band-aids!

Coaching MUST transfer to performing and feeling better, at home, in labor, care-giving, recreation and even competition. For example, with regards to the movement pillar, there are three realms: 1) physical activity, as in walking, stairs, labor and chores, 2) recreation, as in sport, dance, all-seasons GO on snow, ice, sand or water, and 3) TRAINING, exercising with purpose. ALL contribute to the robustness of our movement pillar. Training is only one piece of the movement pie, so yes to targeted training, AND to more movement in labor, hobbies and play.

When training any adult, there are 7S Buckets that may need to be restored and refilled. The 7th Bucket is Specificity and Specifics. Specificity refers to “we get what we train for; we keep what we do!” Specifics are those things unique to our client; in this case, those CV conditions that propelled the client in our direction in the first place. It may have been a primary care Doc, a referral from cardiac rehab or simply the client’s grit to BE better. Whatever, we are here to fortify all their pillars of hardiness.

Don’t get me wrong. We must know CVD pathologies, physiology, metrics and measurement, and network with relevant healthcare professionals. But more importantly, we must customize and personalize coaching to provide the springboard for Charlie to thrive, as a husband, father, business owner and outdoorsman, to optimize his health-span, and his zest for living life to his fullest.

So, from pacemakers, stents, meds and more, to risk factors, co-morbidities, MSK challenges and all else in store, we practitioners are here to reboot, rebuild, coach, train and restore.

Specialization for Fit Pros

Join Pat VanGalen in the online course, Cardiac REHAB Fitness Specialist. Learn the nuts and bolts of coaching hardiness within the cardiovascular system. Evidence-based facts, figures, updates AND case studies will tweak your coaching. Integrate, don’t isolate!

Patricia ‘Pat’ VanGalen, M.S. brings a unique blend of education, practical experience, common sense application, science and research to her lecturing, teaching, training and coaching. She launched her professional career 40+ years ago in physical education and coaching, then spent the next 10 years in corporate-industrial fitness, health promotion, cardiac rehab and injury risk reduction programming design, implementation and management. Visit her website, activeandagile.com

Sugar and Addiction Are Connected

Tambryn Crimson-Dahn/23 January 2024/ All MFN blog/

There has been a proven link between sugar and dopamine. Sugar consumption has been proven to produce dopamine in the body, causing feelings of happiness and euphoria. This explains why people with depression tend to eat more processed and sugary foods — because the sugar in those foods produces the dopamine that their body is lacking. Dopamine is the same chemical that is released in the body during the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. For individuals addicted to illicit drugs, attempting sobriety often leads to extreme cravings of sugary substances due to the absence of the dopamine that is no longer being introduced into the body. For alcoholics, there is a similar issue because many alcoholic drinks contain sugar, which also produces high levels of dopamine. These cravings of sugar could obviously then trigger weight gain, self-esteem issues, and increase the risk of diabetes, as if the battle that comes along with giving up an addiction isn’t hard enough.

The Neural Response of Dopamine

Our brains produce dopamine in response to things our body thinks we need to survive, like sex, for example, as evolution has hardwired humans for procreation, causing the brain to deem sex a necessity for our species to survive. Once dopamine produces feelings of happiness and pleasure, we then obviously want to engage in the actions that produce those feelings again and again. Studies have shown that the consumption of sugar causes the same high rise in dopamine levels in the brain that hard drugs cause. Thus why addicts struggle with sobriety as their brain continues to crave the dopamine that was produced by their substance/s of choice. Substance use, as well as severe depression, can cause the brain to lose its ability to produce dopamine naturally, causing it to become even harder to give up sugar the longer one uses the substance or is clinically depressed.

Evolutionary Eating Habits

Throughout history, humans have needed to consume many calories to survive, which is no longer the case due to advancements in food technology and the way that food is produced now. Although we humans no longer need to consume high amounts of calories, evolution simply has not caught up yet, forcing us to have to rewire our brains consciously with the information we now know to be true about healthy eating choices. This evolutionary hardwiring in combination with long-term use of sugary food and drinks cause the body to develop a high sugar tolerance, which again, can lead to the aforementioned issues listed above.

Reducing Sugar Is A Process

When a client is struggling with addiction, they often express feelings of guilt and shame about craving sugary substances in excess. Often, they feel as if they’re switching addictions, which in and of itself makes one feel bad, but they also feel that they should be living a wholistically healthy lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great long-term goal, however, one needs to start slowly, taking one step at a time to ensure long-term success.

“Baby steps. There’s no need to punish yourself for getting sober. This is supposed to be fun, not a chore, remember?” I’ll say with a chuckle. Starting an exercise regimen already puts physical stress on one’s body that they are unaccustomed to, which, even though it is fun, causes the body to need to adapt. That, in addition to having to abstain from the substance of one’s choice, is already enough for anybody to have to cope with. This is why people always have to be told not to beat themselves up over food cravings.

Reducing sugar intake is something that should be done gradually, over time. We’ll get there eventually, after we tackle all the other obstacles. As the adage goes, “You gotta learn to walk before you learn to run.”

Tambryn Crimson-Dahn is a certified personal trainer, fitness coach, nutritionist, and addiction recovery specialist with years of experience. After having worked in the gym industry, she now owns and operates her own company, Crimson Wholistic Fitness. She specializes in addiction recovery, depression, anxiety, and overall mental health and wellness, and enjoys psychology as continuing education.

References

Dopamine triggers sugar cravings and is used to cope with depression – Fitness Nutrition textbook, International Sports Sciences Association
https://wellnessretreatrecovery.com/sugar-and-dopamine-link-sweets-addiction/

Healthy-Lifestyle-Nutrition-Exercise-Medicine

The Power of Why: Motivation for Better Health

Trevor Wicken/15 January 2024/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

As a movement practitioner, I love it when my clients become my teachers. One conversation with someone going through the process of changing their life and fighting challenges may prompt, lead, or sometimes shove me into examining my practice, my approach, and my connection with the people I serve. Just recently Mary, one of my clients, wanted to meet with me to discuss her progress and our conversation inspired this article.

Best Exercises to Prevent Osteoporosis

Maurice D. Williams, MS/12 January 2024/ All MFN blog/

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects our bone system due to a decrease in bone mass, density and an increase in the space between the bones. As a result, one’s bones become brittle and suspect to breaking. There are two types of osteoporosis: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is generally a result of the aging process and a decrease in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help regulate how fast bone is lost. Type 2 is a result of medications or other health issues that interfere with bone reformation. Thankfully, both types are treatable!

Most Common Areas Affected: Osteoporosis is generally found in the neck of the thigh and lower back. A lot occurs in these areas, so, a decrease in the strength of the bone there is not a good thing.

Nutrition: Since nutrition plays a factor in everything we do, it is important to mention it for those with osteoporosis. The three things to focus on the most are: an increase in calcium, and a stoppage of alcohol intake and smoking.

Exercises: Research shows that it takes about six months of consistent exercise at somewhat high intensities to produce enough bone mass change. With that being said, it is important to use proper exercises in a progressive fashion and make them specific to you. Exercises should focus on the following areas of the body as they stress the overall bone structure: core, hips, thighs, back and arms. Here are my top six exercises to start your 6-month program:

Planks: 1-3 sets of 8-20 reps

Supine Bridges: 1-3 sets of 8-20 reps
supinebridge

Prone Cobras: 1-3 sets of 8-20 reps
cobra

Squats: 1-3 sets, 8-20 reps
squats

Standing Tube Row: 1-3 sets, 8-20 reps
tuberow

Single leg balance: 1-3 sets, 8-20 reps
singlelegbalance

Conclusion

While osteoporosis can be a life threatening disease, it can be managed through exercise. Most people who include daily exercise are able to ward off further damage to their body and are able to do their normal daily activities of life. Performing the six exercises listed and then progressing to more challenging ones will keep a person with osteoporosis healthy!

Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD. With almost two deciades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy. Maurice is also a fitness educator with Move Well Fit Academy and NASM.